Healthy Back To School Is Easy As 1-2-3
August 24, 2010
(Port Washington, N.Y.) - Grassroots Environmental Education, a New York-based environmental health non-profit, is alerting parents of children headed back to school to be mindful of emerging science linking exposures to chemicals commonly found in anti-bacterial products, bottled water and food packaging with potentially serious health problems.
“We’ve chosen to focus on these three because they are so commonplace in the school environment,” says Grassroots Executive Director Patti Wood. “Parents are understandably attracted to anti-bacterial products, but the fact is, chemicals used in those products have been associated with interference with the thyroid gland and endocrine disruption. Plastic water bottles often contain bisphenol- A (BPA), phthalates and other suspect chemicals that can leach under normal conditions. And kids bring food to school in plastic wraps, plastic containers and plastic lunch boxes, all of which can pose problems. These are things parents absolutely need to know about.”
“It’s not the dose that makes the poison anymore,” says Dr. Leo Trasande, Assistant Director for the Center for Children’s Health and the Environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “It’s the exposure to a wide array of environmental chemicals, even at the lowest levels of exposure, that can harm children’s health.”
- Anti-Bacterial Products with Triclosan - Triclosan (also marketed as “Microban” and “Biofresh”) is a chemical found in thousands of consumer products, from personal care items to ball-point pens. It is advertised as being both safe and effective, but the latest research on triclosan indicates that its use may cause allergic reactions, interference with thyroid function and disruption of the endocrine system. The estrogenic effects of triclosan may induce early puberty, which in turn increases the risk of breast cancer. There is no scientific evidence that the use of these anti-bacterial products is superior to washing hands with soap and warm water.
- Bottled Water - Many parents send their kids off to school with one or more plastic bottles of water, probably thinking that the water in the bottle is safer than what their kids might get at the school fountain. But the plastic bottles may contain harmful chemicals, including phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA mimics estrogen in the body and may contribute to breast and other reproductive cancers. Studies show that phthalates can also disrupt the endocrine system, among other health problems. Re-useable bottles made from stainless steel are completely safe, widely available and can pay for themselves in only a few weeks.
- Food Packaging - Plastic lunch boxes, plastic food containers and plastic wrap may be convenient for packing school lunches, but they can also pack a powerful dose of potentially harmful chemicals. Some major brands of children’s lunch boxes are made from PVC and have been found to contain high levels of lead (some tested at 90 times the legal limit). Plastic containers (especially those bearing the recycling codes #1, #3, #6 and #7) and clear plastic wrap may leach chemicals into the food, especially when not refrigerated. Alternatives to plastic food packaging include non-PVC lunch boxes, unbleached paper and wax paper bags, re-useable cloth bags and wraps.
Grassroots, which has won numerous awards from the EPA for its pioneering programs to educate consumers and protect children’s health, has created a new web page for parents concerned about these kinds of exposures. Called simply, “Exposures at School” (http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/exposuresschool.html) the page has links to safe products parents can trust. Elsewhere on the site parents can also find scientific information and links to studies on environmental toxins and human health.
About Grassroots
Founded in 2000, Grassroots Environmental Education is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with a mission to educate the public about the links between common environmental exposures and human health. More information about the organization and its programs can be found on the Grassroots web site, GrassrootsInfo.org.
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Health
Have a press release or local story you would like us to review? Let us know about it!
| You can Bookmark & Share this page by clicking here: |
|
More Long Island News
-
Long Island Exchange is the leading resource on Long Island New York for news and business. Find Long Island news, check local weather, real estate, classifieds, and auto dealer listings for Long Island.
News Comments for this Article
One Response to “Healthy Back To School Is Easy As 1-2-3”
Got something to say? Be sure you've read and understand our (Terms of Service)
You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. More...
Food packaging plastic products are definitely essential. I have been using plastic containers for a long time and lately I just started to use glass containers.
- Posted by: june